<p>The big, well-known companies do not necessarily pay more. They pay well but they tend to have standard entry-level compensation whereas smaller startups will have highly variable, negotiable compensation. Just a couple of years out of college (late 80s), I had a job offer from MSFT that was only <em>half</em> of what I was earning at that time at a small, high-tech startup that had ample venture funding and paid its key tech employees <em>very</em> well. This was before the Internet boom, when MSFT still dominated the software industry.</p>
<p>Along those lines, another thing to consider is the amount of equity you’ll get. If you have reason to believe some start-up or mid-size pre-IPO company will do well, then any stock you can get will be worth more than any cash/stock you can get at a big company. It goes without saying that there’s probably a lot more risk this way, so keep that in mind.</p>
<p>There is one thing in common between these companies. They build platforms, which is one of the hardest business to be in. When you work at these companies, you will have a chance to build things that other engineers use. You are working on the other side. If you are a new graduate, it is not a bad place to be.</p>
<p>[An</a> Inside Look at Google - Working at Google - YouTube](<a href=“An Inside Look at Google - Working at Google - YouTube”>An Inside Look at Google - Working at Google - YouTube)</p>
<p>Outdated, but I don’t see why this can’t be applied to today. I even saw a glimpse of what it’s like working for Google in a tv show (can’t remember the name), and I thought it was pretty awesome. Then again, I’m probably seeing just one side.</p>
<p>S & DIL live in the SV. They are paying $1850 for a 660 sq ft 1BR apt, and that is definitely the lower end of the range. No AC, no in-apt laundry, no granite countertops, older complex. Most stuff they looked at was in the 2200-2500 range, though there were plenty of places higher than that. They have decided to stuff as much $$ into the bank as they can at this stage. All that said, they don’t expect to stay there long term because buying a single family home is just outrageous, even on two SWE salaries.</p>
<p>S works at one of the big companies and absolutely loves it. He is not working on products, though – more on language development and platforms that other engineers use. Will be published and present at a conference soon – not bad for a 22 yo! DIL supports a product, which is a different experience, but she likes it a lot. Wanted a place that would give her good training and mentoring vs. a start-up (and she had offers from a couple of those), and she has taken advantage of that.</p>
<p>I heard a lot of the big companies build really cool workplaces to attract employees and applicants, like facebook has a food court or something like that. Ive heard the offices at companies like google and facebook are really cool.</p>
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<p>Logged in because I saw this howler.</p>
<p>Not true at all. Know a couple that got first time home loans/car loans based solely off working for Intel. The conversation went from “Sorry, you have no credit” to “Oh, you work for Intel??”. This is coming from a place where Intel is basically the entire town, however.</p>
<p>It’s better if you’re interested in having a good 2nd or 3rd job.</p>
<p>Based on anecdotal evidence, I don’t think Google pays that well. Two friends turned them down because of the pay. Another friend left Yahoo to join them (not in engineering, though). She said that the pay was no better than Yahoo. However, that was a few years ago. I hear that there is now a massive talent war going on in the Valley for s/w people. A colleague left to join Netflix. A pretty reliable rumor indicates that she is pulling down close to $180K just on base pay (not including 401k matching, bonus, ESPP, RSU, etc). This is quite impressive for a person with less than 10 years experience.</p>
<p>Yes, housing tends to be quite expensive in the Valley. However, I do know young colleagues who live in SF (micro apartment) who pay $700 - $800 a month. I think they just go back to their apartment for shower/sleep. There are so many things for young adults to do around town so they do not sit home all day.
On the other hand, I think young families will have a harder time in the Valley. Houses in towns with good schools are quite expensive. A dual-engineering-income young family ($200-$300k) probably can hack it. But, it would be difficult for a lot of other folks.</p>
<p>Companies are like colleges, each with their own vibe. Some people might fit in better at one and some people might fit in better at another. There are so many to choose from, big companies, mid size companies, start ups. Cost of living is definitely crazy high in Silicon Valley where many of the companies are.</p>
<p>One thing that hasn’t been mentioned: you don’t have to live in San Francisco or Silicon Valley to work at one of the big companies. Google, for instance, has dozens of offices around the world.</p>
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<p>Valve is another company that pays ridiculous amounts (seemingly ignoring industry averages). What they have in common is that they set a very high bar for performance. You’ll either excel or be crushed. Also I don’t think they hire new grads.</p>
<p>This conversation is nothing more than the Harvard, Yale, Princeton conversation, taken one step further in a person’s life.</p>
<p>People flock to these institutions for the prestige they offer. They offer nice salaries because they are often taking the cream of the crop from graduating classes.</p>
<p>The sad fact is these kids are joining mega-corporations with amazing marking and human resources departments. Their exteriors and interiors are draped in Joseph’s Technicolor Dreamcoat, but in reality these kids all become small cogs in a big machine. </p>
<p>Any graduate who thinks they are going to walk into one of these places and have full rein and freedom of choice on what they do and work on from day to day / week to week is kidding themselves. You will immediately be a junior member of a team… a team of all bright people who are all motivated to be the “mover and shaker” and be the boss of you. They are not welcoming you in to nurture you and support you to fulfill your wildest career dreams.</p>
<p>Go get a job at a company where you can be a significant contributor, have real responsibility, maybe even get some project management experience, and have something to put on a resume and build a career with. </p>
<p>Some of the resumes I get with big names on them make me laugh. There’s rarely a significant contribution in the job description. It’s as if I’m supposed to be impressed they were hired by the company… just like I’m supposed to be impressed by their alma mater.</p>
<p>Same discussion as HYP, slightly different context.</p>
<p>Where I come from, we’re engineers. All the fluff is blown away. A scientific approach is always applied. Perception is rarely mistaken for substance.</p>
<p>I work for Microsoft. AMAA.</p>
<p>A friend at Microsoft just got a good job performance review. It came with 1500 shares of stock as a bonus. My neighbors who work at MSFT keep pretty regular hours. The perks, though, are unreal.</p>
<p>I know people who work at Apple(In Cupertino, not the store), Cisco Systems and interns at Blizzard in Irvine. Some of them like it and some don’t but the pay is always high. Both Apple and Blizzard(given the nature of the industry) have very “fresh” and “young” vibes to them. However, I was told that employees at Blizzard in particular, do get paid well but work long long hours. Like 50+ hours a week. My friend at Cisco got a job there as a programmer right out of UCSD and started off at 80k. He seems to love it there. Of course it goes without saying that perks and benefits are awesome for these companies and lots of company events.</p>
<p>[Cost</a> of Living Calculator: Compare the Cost of Living in Two Cities - CNNMoney](<a href=“http://money.cnn.com/calculator/pf/cost-of-living/]Cost”>Cost of living: How far will my salary go in another city? - CNNMoney)
Take that into consideration when comparing salaries.</p>
<p>You could live better on $50k in many cities than you could on $80k in the Bay Area. Couple that with other benefits, and you may find that “cool” jobs really aren’t worth it at all.</p>
<p>Sure, but the companies mentioned in this thread are going to pay over $100k with substantial stock and probably bonuses. And while the cost-of-living calculator shows this isn’t worth as much as it would be elsewhere, you’ll notice the only real discrepancy is in housing. If one (for the purposes of this discussion, someone who has newly graduated from college) is willing to split a 2br with someone (~$1000 a month in rent), then suddenly it’s not nearly as expensive as the calculator would indicate.</p>
<p>I don’t claim that staying in the Bay Area is a great idea for older people with families, but for young people it can be a pretty good deal.</p>
<p>Don’t ever… I mean NEVER… take a job anywhere but a “meca” area, like the East or West coasts.</p>
<p>If you leave, you will find it difficult to get back in. </p>
<p>Sorry, but I simply would not hire an engineer who wanted to come back after leaving for for NC. The mindset of the megalopolises are just different than the rest of the country. </p>
<p>I’m looking for someone driven to succeed where it’s very competitive and difficult to do so. Someone who has faith in themselves and is up to the challenge. Not someone who went where it’s easier to live on less, then realized they couldn’t deal with the slow pace. </p>
<p>I’m not trying to be mean here. I’m being brutally honest. </p>
<p>Seriously… How do I know you went to palookaville on your own? How do I know you didn’t just get spit out like thousands of others who couldn’t it make it here either? …and now you want a second shot at the brass ring. Sorry, not on this merry go round.</p>
<p>Want a nice dent in your career? Go take a job in Ohio.</p>
<p>Maikai gives good advice for those that intend to dedicate their entire existence for the rest of their life to their career.</p>
<p>I’ve seen first-hand how people change for the worse in places like NYC and LA. Something about population density does that. But if your career is your life, then that is exactly where you want to be and where you want to stay.</p>
<p>I couldn’t disagree more with maikai.</p>